The on-field rivalry between the Rams and the Buffs started back in 1893 at a time when the higher education landscape looked vastly different. Back then, the value of a degree was self-evident and generations of Buffs and Rams helped build the Colorado we enjoy today. Now, 120 years after that first game, many in our country are engaged in heated discussions about the value of a college degree.

As the leaders of two great universities — despite our football rivalry — we are truly partners in helping people understand the very real personal and collective value of higher education. Investing in a college degree at one of our public research institutions pays substantial dividends and is more valuable now to Coloradans than it was in 1893.

For students and their families, the return on an investment in higher education is sound: College graduates earn on average $1 million more over their working lifetimes than a person without a four-year degree. For our two institutions, our primary objective is ensuring that students are successful in class and graduate, so that life-changing investment can start to pay off.

When we, as a state, invest in public research universities, the ROI comes in the form of innovations in a wide range of important areas like aerospace, renewable energy, cancer research, atmospheric sciences, and environmental sustainability, among many others. The economic activity generated by CSU and CU is felt across the entire state and exceeds $10.5 billion a year. That includes a combined $1 billion in research initiatives that deliver innovations and discoveries that make a difference in people’s lives here in Colorado and around the globe. Our graduates work, own businesses, and pay taxes that generate millions of dollars in revenue for our communities.

Still, we’ve all heard recent reports of student loan debt nationally topping $1 trillion – coupled with concerns about the cost of education and the burden that loan debt places on students and families. As public research universities, we’re proud to be able to say that our students are getting top value for the money they spend on their education, and they are graduating at higher rates and with less student debt than their peers as they head out into the working world. (Nearly 60 percent of all federal loan debt is held by students who attend private or for-profit schools – not public universities.) Tellingly, our CSU and CU student loan default rates are far below state and national averages, also, which means our students are getting jobs after graduation and paying off debt so they can focus on their future.

When the Buffs and the Rams meet at the Showdown we don’t expect our fans to like each other on game day. This is a rivalry, after all. But it’s important we come together as a state and a team to ensure the investment our students and parents make in higher education is matched by the state of Colorado, so that we can continue to provide a solid value that doesn’t leave students saddled with unmanageable debt, and that pays a lifetime of dividends.

Tony Frank is the president of Colorado State University. Philip P. DiStefano is the chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder.